


Pressure Point

by Madisuzy



Series: Turk Vincent arc [2]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alcohol Abuse, Frottage, M/M, Swearing, Turk Vincent Valentine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-24
Updated: 2014-03-24
Packaged: 2018-01-16 20:34:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1360846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madisuzy/pseuds/Madisuzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reno notices something is up between Tseng and Vincent.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pressure Point

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kickcows](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kickcows/gifts).



> Pressure Point begins 6 months after Tseng's Training Technique and is Reno's point of view. 
> 
> I'm doing a couple of one shots to fill in some gaps in this series, so I apologize to those who have already read the rest, for going backwards and confusing things. I'll reorder the series list as I add to it, so they remain in order of occurrence.

Reno watched his coworkers from under half closed eyes, studying what had become the familiar dance between them. Valentine looked pissed off, a recent development that only sparked his curiosity even more. After all, Tseng's protégé usually never showed any emotion on a mission apart from boredom or the odd burst of sadistic amusement.

This was true even more so on missions where they played bodyguards at private dinner parties like tonight, so it was well worth noting, even if Rude didn't agree.

"He'll catch you watching them one of these days," Rude murmured softly beside him, his own eyes hidden behind the usual shades. Reno snorted out a chuckle, sure that he wasn't the only one paying too much attention to their superior and his shadow.

"Which he? Boss or Mr Happiness?" Reno murmured back without looking Rude's way. Tseng was standing stiffly beside Valentine, his face showing nothing. Vincent's lips kept moving, a sneer curling them as he said something to the older man that finally earned him a glance from Tseng... which looked oddly apologetic. Reno's own eyebrows rose at the reaction as he mentally kicked himself for not bothering to learn lip reading when he had the chance.

"Does it matter?" Rude replied, this time using an elbow to lightly prod the redhead beside him. "Reno, even I can tell you're staring."

"And? Ain't I allowed ta watch and learn from our top agents?" Reno replied sarcastically, flicking his gaze to his partner. He could see one eyebrow rise from this angle, over the top of the other's sunglasses. "I know you've noticed too. Something's going on."

"Doesn't mean you need to get involved," Rude warned, finally turning to face Reno's direction.

"I ain't getting involved, just watching the show," Reno retorted, leaning back against the wall belligerently. "Even I'm not stupid enough to get in the middle of that shit storm."

Rude didn't comment any further, and Reno exhaled dramatically, feeling his partner's anxiety like a physical presence beside him. It was distracting enough that he finally stopped watching the two across the room and turned to face Rude, leaning one shoulder against the wall.

"Hey, what's your guess on it? Don't try ta tell me you ain't got a theory either," Reno prodded, crossing his arms over his chest. He watched a muscle in Rude's jaw twitch, and as he waited for the other to find his words, Reno's imagination wandered to what it would feel like to lick over that skin and make the muscles tense from pleasure rather than stress. Just the thought bought a small smirk to his face.

"Something happened that night we were celebrating Vincent's two years with the company," Rude replied, glancing at the redhead again. "You might have noticed more if you hadn't been so drunk."

The smirk on Reno's face grew to a full smile as he watched Rude's cheeks color a little, some memory the redhead would kill to see himself, flickering through his partner's mind.

"Tell me what happened that I missed then."

Rude frowned, turning his face away. The gesture had Reno's amusement disappearing, as it meant there was something, and Rude wasn't going to tell him.

"Nothing that helps work out what's up with them. You, Elena and me left together though, so must be something that happened after we'd gone." 

"Maybe," Reno mumbled, turning his gaze back to where Valentine and Tseng had been, only to find them gone. Chewing on the edge of his lip, he decided to prod Rude a little more now that his other entertainment had disappeared. "If ya didn't see nothin', how'd ya guess that's when it started?"

"The next day at work, Vincent couldn't keep his eyes off Tseng, and Tseng wouldn't look at Vincent at all. It's been tense between them ever since," Rude stated, putting a hand up to one ear and listening to some incoming message on his earpiece, leaving Reno no opportunity for comment. When his hand fell, he turned to the redhead with a frown before saying, "That was the boss. The mission's been aborted."

"What the fuck?" Reno asked, his voice low. "The guy's right here and already eating out of Elena's hand. What the hell's the problem?"

"He didn't say," Rude replied. "We gotta get the car and they'll collect Elena and meet us out front."

With a lazy shake of his head, Reno turned and walked out with Rude at his heels. By the time they were sitting in the car outside the front door, waiting for the others to join them, his smile was back and he'd simply let it go. He knew he and Rude hadn't done anything to stuff up the mission, so he left the rest to Tseng to worry about. At least it meant he'd be getting home with plenty of time to enjoy the bottle of 100 year old scotch he'd lifted from the target's study earlier. It was just a pity he couldn't offer to share it with Rude... after all, his partner hated it when he stole stuff on missions, and Reno was in no mood for a lecture.

***.***

The debriefing the next day held no answers, Tseng only informing them that there had been developments that had caused the postponement of their goals with the target. Reno found himself to be too hung over to push for more, but that didn't mean he didn't notice how Elena was acting. She knew why, and she was hiding it.

Valentine looked like he was ready to kill somebody, and thankfully at the moment, that ire seemed directed at their leader. Tseng seemed unaffected, ignoring his partner's glare and muttered comments, but even Rude seemed to be uncomfortable in the heated atmosphere, and the room emptied quickly once Tseng declared the debriefing over.

Valentine didn't return to his desk, heading towards the fire escape. Reno guessed he was heading to the roof to partake in his new vice. It pissed the redhead off, because he really wanted a smoke himself, but there was no way he was going to put himself alone with Valentine in _that_ mood, just for his own fix.

Tseng walked out of the meeting room and paused, watching Valentine push moodily through the fire escape door, and for a moment it looked as if he would follow... but then Tseng turned towards his office, entering and closing the door behind him. It was just another anomaly to add to the list, as he'd always gone after the younger man before.

"All this shit ain't good for the team," Reno muttered from his desk, giving a pointed look towards Elena who was doing her best to ignore him. "We're supposed to keep secrets from everyone else, not each other."

"Give it time," Rude replied, drawing Reno's eyes in his direction. "Things will settle. They always do."

Reno only hoped his partner was right.

***.***

Valentine's 21st birthday was around four months later, and while things had settled, Reno was undecided on whether that was a good or bad development.

The birthday boy didn't seem angry anymore, but he was colder, more unemotional and far too eager to kill and torture on missions these days. Yes, it made him an effective Turk, but that was little comfort to Reno's sense of security.

Valentine had become unpredictable and even more unreadable, even it seemed for their leader. That unsettled Reno and made him try his best to avoid the other whenever he could. Reno had never honestly been so uncomfortable with another Turk before, as in the past he'd always been able to work out some tell in those around him, some kind of map to follow on how to interact with his coworkers.

He still agreed to go to the party Tseng was throwing for the younger man though, as did Rude and Elena, because in the end they were Turks and Turks stuck together. They were there an hour waiting for the guest of honor before there was a knock at the door, but instead of Valentine, Tseng had been faced with a delivery boy holding a parcel, and a letter. After closing the door and reading it, Tseng had announced that Vincent was not coming, and the four bottles in the parcel was his apology to them all.

The silence that followed Tseng quite announcement was brutal, because for once, Tseng's emotions slipped through onto his face, and the hurt was obvious as the older man stared at the letter in his hands. 

Elena tried to smooth things over, her usual positivity surfacing as she took out the first bottle of expensive whiskey and began pouring them all drinks, saying they'd celebrate a little now anyway, and maybe later they could do so again when Vincent was free... but Tseng didn't seem to hear her and the awkward silence soon returned.

He did sit down with them though, even had a few drinks much to everyone's surprise, but the atmosphere never really recovered. After another hour, Reno, Rude and Elena took their leave, Tseng insisting they take the rest of the whiskey with them to share.

Back at Rude's apartment, the three remaining Turks drank away the awkward atmosphere and finally, Reno got his chance to question Elena on what had gone wrong on that mission from months before. He knew it must have something to do with the ongoing drama between the other two, and after some prodding and a bottle or two of whiskey, Elena finally confirmed it.

Elena had befriended the target as planned, but then had found out the man's tastes didn't lay in her direction, as she so graciously put it. Reno found himself laughing at first, but then he thought it over, realizing what it must mean.

"So you're saying the dude wanted to romance Valentine?" Reno asked, almost spilling his drink as his chuckles returned. "Seriously, did he have a fucking death wish? Valentine always looks like he's about to kill someone, not fuck them."

"Reno, he does not," Elena defended with a glare, but it soon turned into a smirk as she continued. "And it wasn't Vincent he wanted to romance."

The redhead choked on his drink, coughing as the whiskey went up his nose and burned in places it just shouldn't be. His reaction got Rude and Elena laughing though, although Reno didn't think it was funny at all.

"Fucking bastards, both of you," he finally managed to mutter as he regained his breath, sending both the others a glare. "Why isn't this a shock to you, Rude? You keeping secrets from me too now?"

"I guessed. Didn't want to say anything until Elena confirmed it," Rude explained, handing the redhead a napkin that he grudgingly took, wiping off his whiskey smeared face.

"How the hell did you guess that?" Reno insisted, still feeling offended by being the only one left out of the loop.

"Well, the fact Tseng and Elena completed the mission on their own a few weeks later made it a possibility," Rude replied, eyes intently watching Reno now. "And Valentine blowing his own solo mission the same night by slaughtering all the suspects was another clue. You didn't put these things together at all yourself?"

Reno frowned into his empty glass, putting it down on the table and glaring at its lack of whiskey. Even when Rude refilled it, his expression didn't lift.

"I still don't get it," he finally mumbled, a hand coming up to rub over his face to try and clear the alcohol blur setting up camp in his brain.

"You never notice when guys like guys, Reno. It's like you have a visual filter that prevents you from seeing anything gay related," Elena teased, poking out her tongue at Reno when he flipped his middle finger up at her.

"Fuck you, I am gay," he retorted angrily.

"Yeah, that's what makes it so fucking funny," Elena replied, her chuckles making the redhead blush in embarrassment.

_It couldn't be true, could it?_

"Rude, that's bullshit... ain't it?" he asked, almost falling off the chair as he turned too quickly towards his partner. By the time the room stopped spinning, Rude was looking at him with an oddly sad expression that made Reno confused and... and then the room started spinning again all on its own.

"She's right... unfortunately," Rude replied, but Reno never heard the words as his head dropped to the table and he passed out cold.

***.***

Reno watched Valentine and Tseng at the other end of the office, taking in all the signs he'd missed for so long. It was obvious now that Valentine wanted Tseng, his body language a clear give, as was the way his eyes never left the other while they were in the same space. Tseng on the other hand...

Even after months of watching them with the knowledge he'd gained from Elena, Reno was still trying to work out his boss' feelings towards Valentine. He cared, that much was obvious, but whether it was sexual or not... it just wasn't clear. Tseng barely ever met Vincent's eyes, but when the younger man was looking elsewhere, unaware of his presence, Tseng did watch Valentine too. It was always a kind of sad expression though, and Reno couldn't decipher if it was some kind of pity, or maybe remorse that he didn't return the same feelings... or even if he felt the same way but couldn't accept Valentine's feelings for some other reason. There were just too many variables, and both men were such enigmas when it came to their private lives.

At least now he knew what had been causing the rift between the two other Turks, even if he'd had to be told twice. The first time he'd been so drunk he didn't remember and Elena had had to retell him all the facts the next day. It had worried him and left him wondering just how much else he'd missed while drunk off his ass... and how much the others knew about him that they never should.

With a sigh, Reno turned his attention back to the computer screen in front of him, typing up more of his report on automatic as his thoughts turned to another quandary. Rude sat only a couple of meters away, but remained a world away from where Reno wanted him. What had started as a merely physical attraction had now grown over the past year and he found himself wanting much more with his partner, even if he knew it was futile.

Rude was straight, and every time an attractive woman walked past Reno was reminded of that fact by the way his partner's eyes followed them. It had started to make the redhead jealous, and that just pissed Reno off. It didn't, however, stop him from flirting shamelessly with Rude, and even if he rarely got any kind of reaction, at least he got fuel for his own fantasies sometimes.

The touch of a hand... a slight blush of embarrassment. Every little tidbit fed his imagination and inspired him to do it again, even if it was unfair to Rude. Then again, Rude had never asked him to stop, seeming to believe the redhead was just teasing, so until he did object, Reno would continue getting his kicks that way.

It was a little pathetic, although Reno just tended to try not to think about it from that angle too much. His heart wanted what his heart wanted, and no shame seemed to dissuade its chosen course.

Suddenly a coffee appeared before Reno, pulling him from his depressive musings. Looking up, he found Elena smiling down at him and grinned back.

"Thanks."

"You looked like you needed it," she remarked, sitting on the edge of his desk, her hands wrapping around her own cup. "The report giving you grief?"

"Nah," Reno replied, turning from his work to face her as he picked up his own cup. "Just thinking about stuff... stupid stuff."

She smiled knowingly at him, shaking her head as if in chastisement.

"You need to relax and stop thinking. Your poor little brain isn't used to such a workout."

"Oh, ha ha, blondie," Reno retorted, but there was no heat in his words as she laughed at her own joke.

"Sorry, but seriously, you do need to get your mind off things," she commented, looking around the office. 

Reno saw her eyes pause on Rude as he talked into his phone, turned away from them, and wondered if somehow she knew... 

"How about you and I go out for a drink after work?" she suddenly added, derailing his train of thought.

"You asking me on a date?" Reno asked, making a look of panic fall over her face before he grinned, letting her off the hook. She took a half hearted swing at his arm, and he let it connect, faking it hurting more than it did just to get her smiling once more.

"Idiot. We can go out and have a couple drinks after work just as friends. Even I'm not stupid enough to try and seduce a gay guy. Besides, you're not my type."

"Well...," Reno began, wanting to go, but not knowing how to explain his reluctance. Usually when he and Elena drank, it involved far too much alcohol, and he'd been trying to cut down over the last year with little success. Once he'd found out about the total memory loss he seemed to suffer from while intoxicated he realized that it left him too vulnerable, and with the way he felt for Rude now, the risk of him blurting something out was way too high. As Elena started to look a little disappointed, Reno sighed, deciding he might as well be up front with her. "I'd like to, but I'm trying to cut down on the booze, to be honest."

"We don't have to get hammered. Maybe we could go eat, have a couple of drinks after," she murmured, eyes returning to him. "I'm just... well, I could do with a break, ya know? A little of living like a normal person, once in awhile."

Reno smiled, nodding at her explanation. "Yeah, I know what ya mean. Sure, let's do it. If nothing else, it'll get the others gossiping about us."

Elena laughed out loud at that, standing up and straightening out her pants with one hand.

"We wish. I doubt any of them will even notice."

Reno chuckled as he watched her walk back to her own desk, ignoring the ache of truth her words caused in his chest. 

***.***

Reno grinned, whistling happily as he meandered down the city streets towards his apartment in a mostly straight line. Dinner with Elena had been... well, honestly, it'd been fun. The two of them talked easily, and the food was great. Reno had only had a few drinks before he'd walked her home and he'd been feeling good about how his self control had held.

Then he stumbled in his resolve, stopping for just one more drink at his local hangout and... well, one had turned into two and so forth. The redhead was too drunk to chastise himself at the moment though, the warm buzz of the alcohol making him feel as if this might be the best night ever.

_If only Rude was here...._

Reno's smile slipped away, and he scowled to himself moodily, trying to ignore the passerby who quickly diverted to cross the street just to avoid walking past him.

_Fuck you man._

When the next couple did the same, Reno's annoyance only grew.

_Fuck them too._

When a stray dog paused in it's rifling of an upturned garbage bin to look at his approach, Reno grinned at it, feeling a strange kind of kinship for a moment... until it too, ran across the street to avoid him.

 _Fuck this whole fucking fucked up city_ , Reno cursed in his mind, kicking the bin as he passed and spreading the garbage across the sidewalk. This was all Rude's fault, for being so god damned attractive and totally straight when he had no right to be.

_Fuck you too, Rude... although I'd rather you fuck me._

With a sigh at his pathetic thoughts, Reno decided to take a different way home to avoid any more people, and turned down the next alleyway. He was so engrossed in feeling sorry for himself, he never even heard the figure approaching him from behind.

The sudden spin before being slammed backwards into the wall left him completely disorientated, and by the time he regained his bearings, he found himself already trapped. A tall figure was leaning against him hard, pinning him far too effectively for it to be an average lowlife.

"Reno."

The redhead's eyes flared wide as he froze in place, knowing that voice far too well.

"What ya want, Valentine?" Reno finally managed to mumble, heart beating way too fast as he breathed in the strong smell of rum that clung to the other man.

"Mmmm... many things I can't have."

The hum was accompanied by a slight grind of the hips that had Reno panicking for a moment, true fear creeping through his own intoxication. Valentine was always dangerous, but a drunk Valentine? Reno could only hope it didn't make him meaner, especially since he was too drunk to put up much of a fight. 

Reno's thoughts didn't stay on the subject long though, the fear slipping away as his body started to warm from the physical contact. It was self betrayal, the physical ignoring the who in favor of the comfort of another body... and it pissed Reno off enough that he let the first thing that came to mind slip through his lips.

"Have ya even tried instead of just walking around pouting all the fucking time?"

The body against him stiffened, the hands holding his wrists tightening enough to make the redhead hiss. The pain at least got his thoughts back on the right track as he swallowed down any further taunts.

"Maybe I need practice," Valentine growled, his face suddenly too close to Reno's neck, his breath hot as the smell of rum drowned out the alleys stink completely. "Maybe you need it too, as I don't see you _trying_ either."

"Me?" Reno asked bewildered. "What the fuck's that supposed to mean?"

Valentine's laugh was low and brittle, and the sudden kiss to Reno's neck had him squirming, trying to put some space between their lower bodies.

"Oh, Reno. Do you think I don't know how much you want Rude? How much you yearn to feel him inside of you, fucking you until you can't take anymore, mindless in the pleasure of finally getting what you've yearned for, for so very, very long."

Reno could only make a small, desperate sound in response as Valentine's hips started moving, grinding against his own and making him so very hard. It was impossible to react any other way, the mental images of Rude doing that to him, combined with the friction Valentine provided, drowning everything else out.

"Why doesn't he see?" Reno gasped out, head tilting to the side as Valentine started sucking on a particularly tender spot near his ear. "Why can't he want me?"

Valentine made a sound like a whimper, which Reno took as agreement as his wrists were suddenly released. The other's hands were soon roving down his sides though, curling around him to grab the redhead's ass and pull them even harder together.

"Tseng...," Valentine whispered in Reno's ear, the desperation of that one name making Reno's heart clench, as his own thoughts were full of the one he wanted just as strongly. His own hands moved to Vincent's shoulders, gripping desperately as his body's pleasure began to peak from the grind, his legs threatening to buckle beneath him.

Then suddenly it was all a blur of too much, Reno lost in his climax and mumbling Rude's name, the only one that would ever be enough for him. He only remembered Valentine when the other's voice pulled him from the haze of his afterglow with a whispered line, close by his ear. 

"What did I do to make you stop wanting me?"

Reno frowned, trying to understand how that fit with what he already knew about Tseng and Vincent, but having too much trouble just standing, little lone thinking. His body was still being held upright by Valentine, and as he fought to keep his eyes open, he felt a pang of sympathy for the other man as he was all too familiar with this stupid unrequited love bullshit.

"They're both fuckin' stupid cunts."

The sound of Valentine's surprised chuckle was the last thing Reno heard before he passed out completely.

***.***

The next morning Reno woke up to a pounding headache, fully dressed in his bed with his pants sticking to him in places they shouldn't. After a few mumbled curses, he stumbled into the shower and cleaned himself up, taking some pain killers while trying to remember the last part of the night before.

He could remember going to the bar on the way home, but after that, the only thing he could recall was being angry at some stupid dog on the way home. With a chuckle, Reno made himself a cup of coffee, remembering the look on the animals face as it'd run away from him.

"Still the top dog in some circles, at least," he mumbled to himself, grinning as he sipped his coffee. He was a little embarrassed that he'd seemed to have had a wet dream in his drunken state, but at least it was a private shame, one nobody else would ever know.

By the time Reno got to work, his headache was gone, and he was surprised to find he'd even managed to get there early for once. Taking it as a sign things were looking up, he sat at his desk and started looking through his paperwork, whistling a tune to fill the silence a little until everyone else arrived.

The sudden feel of eyes upon him had him glancing up, still whistling cheerily as he looked around ready to greet whichever Turk had arrived. When he spotted Tseng hanging up his coat near the entrance to their division, Reno smiled.

"'Morning Ts...," Reno began before his words died away, his smile falling as Tseng turned to glare at him. Reno had only seen that look directed at people his boss was about to kill, and he had no idea what he'd done to deserve it.

"Last night...," Tseng began, slowly walking towards Reno's desk. "Where were you?"

"I... I went out for dinner and drinks with Elena," Reno replied quickly, trying to squash down the urge to back away. "Was I supposed to be somewhere else?"

Tseng stopped about two steps away, eyes thinning further at the redhead's reply.

"After that," he demanded tersely.

Reno swallowed, not breaking eye contact as he replied, "I had a few more drinks at the bar near my place, then went home. What's this about?"

"Did you... see anyone familiar on your way home?"

Frowning, Reno began to panic a little, wondering if he had, and been too drunk to remember. Considering the mood Tseng was in, he figured it'd be best to be honest about it.

"I was drunk, so I don't know. I'd remember if I'd seen anyone I knew... I think." His last words were mumbled as he looked away, embarrassed by his lack of control under the influence. "Look, you're obviously pissed at me about something, so just tell me what ya think I did."

"What's the last thing you remember?" Tseng asked, ignoring Reno's plea for an explanation.

"I remember the bar, and seeing a dog on the way home, but that's it, okay?" Reno began, looking back at his boss as his annoyance began to rise. "Fuck, Tseng, do ya think I killed someone or some shit? Cause hell, I didn't have a weapon on me, and I was havin' enough trouble standin' from what I can remember."

Tseng just watched him, and Reno could only look back, trying not to glare at his boss for completely ruining his good mood with accusations of... of whatever Tseng had in his mind. After a few minutes, Tseng looked away, taking a couple of deep breaths.

"I do believe today is your lucky day," Tseng murmured before walking off towards his office, entering without a glance back and shutting the door.

Reno was left staring after him, trying to work out what the fuck had just happened.

***.***

By the time Rude arrived, Reno was so pissed about being accused of something without even knowing what it was, that the other Turk didn't even get a word in before Reno stared bitching about it.

Reno felt better after getting it all out, and it was satisfying how concerned Rude seemed to be too, in a kind of sick, twisted, selfish way. Still, it took the edge off the annoyance enough that the redhead could finally settle in and get some work done.

He ended up so engrossed in the files he was hacking from a recent mission, that he didn't even notice when Rude stood up and headed for Tseng's office. It was only the sound of his partner's knock that caught his attention, and he looked up just in time to see Rude disappear inside, shutting the door behind him.

"Okay, what did I miss?" Elena suddenly asked, only just having arrived. Reno turned to find her frowning at him as she walked over, arms full of folders. "I had to pick these up on the way in and was held up 'cause the idiots downstairs had misplaced a couple of files."

"I don't think being here would a helped any," Reno muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I'm here, and I still don't know what the fuck is going on."

"Seriously, Reno, I'm not surprised," Elena teased, easily dodging the pencil Reno threw at her. "Come on grumpy, tell me all about it and let's see if I can help work it out."

Reno sighed, but filled her in on what had happened with Tseng, which led to him having to admit to her that he'd gone to the bar after dropping her off. Surprisingly, she didn't tease him about getting drunk, but instead looked worried... and Reno began to realize that maybe people reacting to his story that way was not a good thing.

"What?" he demanded at her reaction. "What the hell am I missing? Why is everyone so friggin' worried after I tell them I walked home drunk?"

"Who else was worried?" Elena asked, moving to sit on the edge of his desk.

"Rude. Now he's in there with the boss and I swear, they better not be talking about me. If I get some stupid order to not drink anymore, I'm gonna shoot myself."

"Reno," Elena began, her expression far too serious as she completely ignored his threat of self harm. "We've been over this before and you promised that you would only drink that much with one of us there, since you don't remember anything after. It's dangerous, for anyone to do that. That's why we get worried. You just don't seem to grasp how much trouble you could get into."

"Hey, no more than any other drunk idiot," Reno insisted defensively, but the look Elena gave him soon had him admitting defeat. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't plan on doing it, it just... kind a happened. I know it was stupid," he finally admitted, looking away as she smiled at him gently.

"Next time, call me. Doesn't matter if, like last night, you'd only just dropped me off home. I'll still come and back you up anytime," Elena insisted, reaching out to grab his hand and draw his eyes to hers. "Please, Reno, you have to promise me you will from now on, okay?"

"Sure...," he replied, a little disbelieving that it was really that important. Elena raised an eyebrow at him, obviously unconvinced Reno meant it, so he tried again. "Look, I promise, okay? Cross my heart and hope to die. You can stop worrying now, mum."

Elena grinned, letting go of his hand and shaking her head at his teasing.

"Reno, I don't think I'll ever stop worrying about you." 

***.***


End file.
